2010′s Musical Thoughts #9- OnceOnce opened on Broadway on March 18th, 2012 and is based on th
2010′s Musical Thoughts #9- OnceOnce opened on Broadway on March 18th, 2012 and is based on the 2007 Irish musical movie of the same name. With new music by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová (who wrote the music for the original movie, which is also here), Once is about a struggling Irish musician and a Czech immigrant woman (both only named Guy and Girl) as they bond over a shared love of music, leading to friendship, collaboration, and complicated romance. The love of Guy’s life left him to move to New York, and he’s trying to gather up the money to meet her there. Girl is estranged from her husband, but is trying to reconcile with him for the sake of their daughter. Girl encourages Guy to return to his love, but things become complicated when they fall for each other. Do they do what they know is right for them, or do they find solace from the world with each other? This is one of the most complex and heart-warming “friends to sort of lovers” stories in musicals, and the music reflects this. The music, with its roots deep in Irish folk, is sweeping, exhilarating, and makes you feel the emotions of the characters on a whole other level. This conveyance of emotion is especially helped by the fact that every actor in the show (whether leading cast or ensemble) play the show’s instruments on stage. I honestly don’t know how (I’ve never played an instrument in my life) but the cast acts through their instruments sometimes. It’s a raw way of playing that makes their emotions felt through the notes they pluck out. It’s some of the best orchestrations of the decade. This rightfully won Best Musical in 2012, and it’s incredible that a small show like this succeeded the way it did (running for almost three years). This kind of natural folk is something that hadn’t been done before, and surely won’t be forgotten. -- source link
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